Peshawar: The provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has unanimously passed a resolution rejecting Pakistan’s decision to join the Board of Peace for Gaza set up by US President Donald Trump.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif joined a group of world leaders in signing the charter for the Board of Peace for Gaza, despite criticism from the opposition parties.
Trump hosted the ceremony on the margins of the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Pakistan had received the invitation from Trump to join the Board, which was later accepted.
The KPK assembly, with Speaker Babar Saleem Swati in the chair, on Monday, January 26, unanimously adopted the resolution moved by Law Minister Aftab Alam of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) supported the resolution.
Imran Khan‘s party has been ruling the province since 2013.
The resolution stated that joining the Board of Peace is contrary to Pakistan’s historic and principled stance and the will of the Palestinian people.
It argued that this move could damage the Palestinians’ right to self-determination. The House noted that the Board of Peace is inconsistent with UN resolutions and the right of self-determination for the Palestinians; instead, it served to strengthen Israeli atrocities, it said.
The resolution described the Board as a political forum that operates under the patronage of the US and Israel, essentially working to serve their specific agenda.
It further warns that sub-committees formed under this framework could act against Pakistan’s national interests.
The House demanded that the Federal Government should adopt a clear and principled stance for the sovereignty, freedom, and right to self-determination of the people of Palestine and Gaza.
Refrain from any actions that go against the rights of the Palestinian people, the resolution added.
The resolution reminded the federal government of the principled stance of the country’s founder, M A Jinnah, stating that Pakistan will never recognise Israel and will continue to oppose the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz lawmaker Ibadullah, the Leader of the Opposition in the provincial assembly, told PTI that his party did not vote for the passage of the resolution along with the PPPP and the ANP.
The US president unveiled the board as part of the second phase of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In October, Israel and militant group Hamas agreed to Trump’s peace plan.
The board is being projected by Washington as a new international body to usher in peace and stability in Gaza and beyond, triggering speculations that it may respond to other global conflicts as well.
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